We have investigated the use of certain lead antimony alloys in a novel process for making electrode supports. This process involves producing a cylindrical billet of the alloy, preferably by casting, peeling a long strip of metal from the periphery of the billet, and then converting the strip to a battery electrode structure preferably by slitting and expanding the strip to expanded mesh form, after which it may be cut into individual electrodes and pasted with active material or be pasted as a strip and then cut to length.
We have found that when the cylindrical billet is gravity cast cracking and voids are also liable to occur. In addition the material as peeled is soft when the antimony content is about 1.3 to 1.9%.
Alloys of such composition are desirable for use in low maintenance batteries.
We have found that unexpectedly strong strips of unconventional aspect ratio of lead antimony alloy can be produced by extruding certain alloy compositions at defined elevated temperatures and then chilling the extruded strips rapidly.